Dada pottery community seeks government assistance for shelter, factory
Pottery
By Taiye Olayemi
The Dada pottery community in Ilorin, Kwara, has appealed to the state and federal governments for assistance in providing a befitting factory to sustain their trade.
The community emphasised the urgent need for adequate shelter and facilities to continue their traditional pottery craft.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dada pottery community is a congregation of more than 100 women located at the Okelele Quarters in Ilorin East Local Government Area.
Deriving its name from the community, Dada pottery is said to be the largest in Nigeria and is as old as Ilorin town.
The skills are mostly passed down from generation to generation. Through pot making, these women have been able to care for their families despite the conditions they work in.
They are the source of most of the terracotta in and around Ilorin.
Two female potters spoke with NAN in separate interviews on the sideline of a visit by the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) to the community on Saturday.
This visit is part of activities for the Eight Annual General Meeting of NATOP, held in Ilorin.
The potters told NAN that they have not been able to generate enough revenue to erect an attractive and conducive structure for the production of their products.
They also complained about lack of facilities to store their products.
According to the women, their trade promotes the nation’s cultural heritage of handcraft.
Raliat Saka urged government to transform the community to an attractive tourist site so as to attracting local and international visitors.
Saka, who was born into the trade, spoke about the durability of the local product.
She said the community should be assisted and encouraged, as they were involved in the promotion of African culture.
Speaking on the quality of their products, Saka noted that the local pots could be carved into various shapes to perform different purposes and used for years without breaking.
“We produce Ishasun, used to cook in the olden days, it is still very good because it does not make food go burnt.
“We produce some used as piggy banks, some to safe items with holes around it. We produce jugs, food warmers, some other ones to boil herbs.
“We have flower pots and some used to melt gold,” she said.
Also, Mujidat Saheed said most of their products were usually exposed to rain because of lack of standard accommodation.
Saheed said the infrastructural investment was needed to enable them to improve their financial benefits.
She described the preoccupation as lucrative saying she had been able to cater for her children’s academic needs as well as build a house for herself.
“As the largest producer of terracotta products in Nigeria, we should be supported to work better, we usually have our products exposed to the rain and the sun, we want a warehouse built to keep them before sales.” (NAN)
Edited by Folasade Adeniran
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